Widespread 'Mask' Wearing... Beware of False Patent Claims and Exaggerated Advertising

Example materials of patented masks. Provided by the Korean Intellectual Property Office.

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] As mask-wearing has become a daily routine, shortages have even occurred these days. In Korea, after experiencing the spread of infectious diseases such as SARS and MERS, public interest and demand for masks have significantly increased.

In this atmosphere, patent applications related to masks are also on the rise. However, some mask products sold on the market use false or exaggerated advertising and false patent markings to mislead consumers, so caution is needed.

According to the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on the 4th, the average annual number of patent applications for bacteria- and virus-related masks from 2014 to 2018 was 68. This is nearly double the average annual number of 37 applications during the previous five years (2009?2013), which is interpreted as being influenced by the spread of infectious diseases such as SARS (2003) and MERS (2015).

In fact, the number of mask patent applications, which was 73 in 2009, decreased to 24 in 2013, then surged to 43 in 2014 and over 70 annually from 2015 to 2018.

In particular, the mask manufacturing field is not highly technically difficult, and many applications are based on everyday life ideas, so individual patent applications stood out. From 2009 to 2018, individuals accounted for 57.0% of total patent applications, the highest proportion, followed by companies at 37.5%, and universities and others at 5.65%.

However, as public interest in masks grew and demand surged, it is true that acts disrupting the market by exploiting this situation also increased.

For example, in July last year, the Korean Intellectual Property Office and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety jointly conducted a comprehensive inspection of fine dust masks distributed in the market and detected 1,125 cases, including 437 cases of false or exaggerated advertising and 680 cases of false patent markings.

Therefore, the Korean Intellectual Property Office urges consumers to check for the phrase ‘의약외품’ (quasi-drug) on the packaging when purchasing health masks and to wear them after confirming usage instructions and precautions. They also emphasize reporting suspected false patent markings to the KIPO Intellectual Property False Marking Reporting Center.

Lee Suk-joo, Director of the Polymer Fiber Examination Division at KIPO, said, “The growth of the mask market due to fine dust, bacteria, and viruses will continue in the future,” adding, “Along with this, related patent applications are also expected to increase.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.